We’re hiring: Come work for the Nieman Journalism Lab

I’m happy to announce a rare event in contemporary journalism: The availability of a good job.

This good job happens to be working for me here at the Nieman Journalism Lab. We’re looking for a full-time reporter and editor to join our little newsroom here at Harvard. This person would do the kinds of things we do around here: tracking innovation in new and established newsrooms; investigating business models that can sustain quality journalism; and profiling people doing new things with technology and news. In other words, he or she will be writing the kinds of pieces you see around this site.

Things that would help an applicant stand out: excellent reporting and writing chops; experience writing for the web; an established habit of keeping up with the debates online around the future of journalism; the ability to work quickly and smartly; knowledge of and interest in the business side of journalism; skills in social media and video production; and the ability to think critically and see through weak arguments. Some of these are more critical than others: We can teach you video production, for instance, but strong reporting and writing are critical from the start. In addition, this person will do some occasional editing of other folks’ writing.

The job is officially for a one-year term, but if everyone’s happy and funding doesn’t disappear, that term can be extended indefinitely.

Don’t apply by emailing me; all applications must be submitted through the official Harvard HR system. The job posting in that system is here, where there’s also a more official description of the job. We’ll probably take down the posting sometime later this week — say, Thursday or Friday — so you’ll want to get your applications in relatively quickly. All you need at this stage is a resume and a cover letter.

If you have any questions about the position, feel free to email me at joshua_benton@harvard.edu. (That said, please only email if you have actual questions; don’t email me just to tell me why you’re perfect for the job. Put all that in the cover letter.)

This sounds like an awesome job. Love what you guys do and wish I wasn’t in grad school so I could apply :)

http://www.chicagonow.com Fernando Diaz

I echo Vadim’s comment. You are doing amazing work. I think I click on any and every url you tweet. If you could provide a more formal job description, I think a host of news organizations could use it to fill their thinning metro staffs with people who could produce news for this generation of consumers.

Sounds like a wonderful job…right up my alley. I find your work amazing. Too bad you can’t telecommute or it’s not in northern Ind where the employment situation is barren for an award-winning journalist with 30-years experience who was laid off from a mid-sized daily in December.

The new report from the Media Insight Project looks at millennials’ habits and attitudes toward news consumption: “I really wouldn’t pay for any type of news because as a citizen it’s my right to know the news.”

News companies have moved from print dollars to digital dimes to mobile pennies. Now, with the highly anticipated launch of the Apple Watch, the screens are getting even smaller. How are smart publishers thinking about the right way to serve users and maintain their attention on smartwatches?

Instead of just publishing to their own websites, news organizations are being asked to publish directly to platforms they don’t control. Is the hunt for readers enough to justify losing some independence?